


killing an afternoon

by bebe8s



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Crushes, Flirting, M/M, Meet-Cute, because fuck that ugly ass clown!!!! the gays are WINNING today!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bebe8s/pseuds/bebe8s
Summary: As the semester had gone on, Richie had continued to pine for this unknown guy from a distance. He was always too nervous to actually do anything. But for some reason, today was different. Richie had finally convinced himself that it doesn't matter if he gets rejected because he doesn't actually know the guy, so it won't change anything.Also, he was getting tired of Bev's teasing. She would not relent, always making fun of how Richie was always the loudest in the room until that guy walked through the door.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 7
Kudos: 173





	killing an afternoon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dianawritesfic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianawritesfic/gifts).



> ahhhh i'm so sorry this is late!!! buuut this is for diana for the IT fandom exchange!! i hope u like it!!!!!
> 
> title is from "killing an afternoon" by atomic cafe

Richie stepped into the familiar coffee shop and joined the short line, just as he did every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It was right by Roosevelt Hall, where he had his first and second classes of the day, so it was always easy to go and kill time there. Since it was over halfway into the semester, Richie had adjusted into a routine, and so had the coffee shop patrons. He always knew what to expect. Who worked what shifts (today, it was Mike and Bev, two of Richie's close friends), where certain customers sat, and when a certain guy would walk through the door, slightly irritated, and order his coffee in a huff without so much as glancing at anyone else.

Well, once he had glanced at Richie. It was a look of disgust because Richie was sprawled out in one of the comfy armchairs by the window and was making funny faces at Bev as she tried to take the guy's order. Richie was more or less in love with this guy. He had never even spoken to him, but god, did he want to. He was just a little nervous. 

It didn't help that Bev wouldn't tell Richie his name. He had begged, but she had just kept telling him to ask the guy himself. Richie had even tried on multiple occasions to trick her into telling him, but Bev was always one step ahead of him.

As the semester had gone on, Richie had continued to pine for this unknown guy from a distance. He was always too nervous to actually do anything. But for some reason, today was different. Richie had finally convinced himself that it doesn't matter if he gets rejected because he doesn't  _ actually  _ know the guy, so it won't change anything. 

Also, he was getting tired of Bev's teasing. She would not relent, always making fun of how Richie was always the loudest in the room until that guy walked through the door. 

Richie had meticulously timed his entrance to the coffee shop today. He wanted to be right in front of the guy in line so he could enact his simple, somewhat stupid plan. It wasn't anything big (Bev had talked him out of dressing up in a knight costume and renting a horse); instead, he was just going to pay for his coffee. Hopefully that would spark conversation.

It was easy to time everything correctly, seeing as the guy would  _ always  _ come in at 11:13 - never earlier, never later. Today was no different. Richie had walked in at 11:12 and 48 seconds, and moments after he had stepped into line, the beautiful stranger had moved into line right behind him. 

There were only two people ahead of him, but by the time Richie got to the front, he was sweating an embarrassing amount. Bev raised her eyebrows and gave him a look when he stepped up, but Richie just rolled his eyes. He ordered his iced coffee, because he's gay so he has to, and then tells Bev to ring in whatever the guy behind him normally gets. He had learned that this guy  _ never  _ deviated from his normal order, which made this a whole lot easier to pull off. Richie paid and stepped to the side, waiting for his name to be called.

He tried to focus on something,  _ anything  _ else, but he couldn't. His eyes were drawn to the front counter where the guy was ordering. He watched the look of surprise spread across this guy's (incredibly stunning) face, and then they made eye contact when Bev motioned in Richie's direction. And then the guy was walking towards Richie.

Logically, Richie should have known this was exactly what was going to happen. But for some reason it felt unexpected, and he started panicking about what he was going to say.

"Hey, asshole, why did you pay for my coffee?" was the first thing out of the stranger's mouth, and wow, was Richie whipped.

"Wait a second, how am I the asshole here? Generous? Yeah. Chivalrous? That's me. But asshole? I simply haven't earned that title yet."

"I didn't need you to pay for me," the guy says, eyes determined. Richie could see he was already fighting the urge to smile and give in to Richie's annoying charm.

"Well, you're in luck, then, shortstack, because I didn't do it because you  _ needed  _ it. I did it because I  _ wanted  _ to," Richie said, leaning in slightly. He was starting to find his groove. He liked how this guy was such a spitfire - it really egged him on. 

"Okay, whatever, just let me pay you back."

"Nope. Not happening," Richie said with a grin. 

"Come on, I feel bad. Do you have venmo? What's your venmo?" 

"I don't want your money, cutie. If you  _ really  _ want to pay me back, you could just sit and have your coffee with me."

"I-I can't. I have class in five minutes," the other guy stuttered with a blush.

"You are a terrible liar. And I'm here every week anyway, and I see you sit here for like half an hour, so I  _ know  _ you don't."

Just then, Mike slid two coffees over the counter to Richie and his mystery guy. Before he could be stopped, Richie grabbed both drinks and walked over to the corner he normally sat in. The other guy followed begrudgingly, but he still sat down across from Richie.

"Alright. So what exactly does having this coffee with you entail?"

"Well, you could start by telling me your name," Richie suggested.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then I'll just stick with the nicknames, hot stuff."

"Fine, it's Eddie," the guy,  _ Eddie _ , said with an eye roll.

"Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Eddie. I'm Richie."

"So, why'd you buy my coffee?" Eddie asked.

"Because you're cute," Richie said with a shrug.

"Come on, there's gotta be more to it than that. I've seen you here the entire semester, why today?"

"Okay, well, if we're being completely honest here, it's because I was getting tired of Bev's incessant teasing about me being a coward for not asking you out."

"Wait, you know Bev? Like, outside of just this coffee shop?" Eddie asked.

"Uh, yeah. I've known her forever. She's my best friend. She wouldn't even tell me your name, though. Said I had to do it on my own."

"Man, she played you. I've been mentioning the cute, disorganized-looking boy from the coffee shop to her all semester."

" _ What?  _ Wait, how do  _ you  _ know Bev?" Richie asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

"She's dating my roommate."

"Haystack?  _ The  _ Ben Handsome is your roommate?" Richie asked incredulously

"Yep. That's the one," confirmed Eddie.

"So you're telling me this  _ whole  _ time, Bev has known about our respective crushes and said  _ nothing _ ?" Richie exclaimed, throwing a glance towards Bev behind the register.

"Hey, I never said  _ crush _ ," Eddie defended, but Richie saw right through it. 

"Well, it sounds to me like we've gotta go on a date, then, Eds."

"One, that's not my name. Two, convince me to and I will."

"Wow, you really are hard to get. Time for the Richie Tozier Sales Pitch," Richie said, pretending to crack his knuckles and stretch. "So, as previously stated, I am Richie Tozier and I happen to think you're quite cute. It's taken me half the semester to get up the nerve to actually say something about it. You would benefit greatly from a date with me because I am a gentleman, I am absolutely hilarious, and, because I have what Sigmund Freud refers to as an oral fixation, I give insane head. And because I'm a little bit of a slut, I'd put out on the first date if you wanted. And I  _ really _ hope that you would want that, because  _ damn _ ."

By the end of Richie's speech, Eddie's stubborn demeanor had melted away to reveal the most adorable giggle, and Richie was swooning. 

"Do you have that memorized for when you have to convince people to go out with you?"

"Nope. I came up with it on the fly. It wasn't hard, though; I just listed my top three qualities."

"Wow, top three. That must mean you give  _ really _ good head," Eddie said with a grin.

"Oh, I do. I believe the word I used was 'insane,' which is accurate. I still have twenty minutes before class if you want me to prove it to you now."

"Nice try." Eddie laughed, adding, "Alright, I've got to appreciate the dedication here. I guess I'll go on a date with you."

"You  _ guess _ ? Eds, I gotta get a little more enthusiasm here!"

"Fine, fine. I would absolutely love to go on a date with you, Richie Tozier. How's Friday?"

"That's more like it! Friday's perfect." Richie watched as Eddie went in for a sip of his coffee, and he decided in that moment that there was no one on this planet as cute as Eddie.

"Oh, shit, I completely lost track of time and I've got class in six minutes. I've gotta go, but I'm looking forward to Friday. Give me your phone so I can put in my number," Eddie said as he started to gather his things. Richie handed his phone over and watched as Eddie typed quickly.

"Dude, could your screen be more cracked?" 

"Yeah, it definitely could, and probably will. I'm not getting another until it stops functioning, though."

Eddie laughed and started to stand, so Richie followed him out of the café. They stopped outside on the sidewalk before parting ways, and Richie decided to try just one more risk.

"Now, do I have to wait until Friday to kiss you, or could I do it now?"

Eddie blushed and bit his lip as he looked up at Richie. After a moment, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Richie's. The kiss was short and sweet and nothing short of perfect.

"Just a little preview for Friday, I guess. Gotta keep you interested," Eddie said through a smile.

"Oh, trust me. I'm interested. I'm  _ very  _ interested."

Eddie laughed at him before waving goodbye and heading off in the other direction. Richie still had ten minutes before class, so walked back into the coffee shop for a quick chat with Bev.

"Hey, red, what's the deal with you  _ knowing  _ he was into me and not saying anything, huh? That's pure evil," Richie said as he approached the counter.

"Rich, even if I  _ had  _ said something, you never would have believed me anyway," Bev argued, and Richie shrugged in defeat. "But I'm guessing it went well, huh?"

"Yeah. We're going out on Friday. And don't worry, I made sure to tell him I give insane head."

"I wasn't even slightly worried about that, but good for you."

Richie said his goodbyes to Bev and Mike before heading out to go to his own class, a smile still on his face at the prospect of what the week has to hold. Inside his head, he started planning all sorts of different date ideas to sweep Eddie off of his feet. He just  _ knew  _ this week was going to fly by, and he was pretty damn glad it would. Richie was pretty sure he was going to die if he didn't get to kiss Eddie again soon.

**Author's Note:**

> uhh yeah surprise i am back with a short lil fluffy fic. i miiiiight write a part 2 of their date and richie's promised insane head but idk bc my last day of (online) classes is thursday and then i have finals and stuff soooo we shall see!
> 
> also today is my birthday lmao i am now 19 and i am celebrating with reddie i suppose
> 
> anyway! sorry i never write anymore maybe i'll be able to get back into it but all i ever do anymore is play animal crossing and think about girls and i'm not even slightly sorry about that


End file.
